A stock is a flavorful liquid made by simmering bones or vegetables with aromatics in water. It is the base of sauces, soups and braises.
Indeed, stock is everything in cooking, at least in French cooking.
Key idea
The parts: bones (or vegetables), mirepoix (onion, carrot and celery, classically 2 parts onion to 1 carrot to 1 celery by weight), a sachet or bouquet garni (herbs and peppercorns), and cold water. Kinds: white stock (raw bones, pale), brown stock (bones and mirepoix roasted first, often with tomato paste), fish fumet (fish bones, quick) and vegetable stock.
| Stock | Typical simmering time |
|---|---|
| Chicken (white) | About 3 to 4 hours |
| Beef or veal (white or brown) | About 6 to 8 hours |
| Fish (fumet) | About 30 to 45 minutes |
| Vegetable | About 45 minutes to 1 hour |
- Start with cold water so proteins come out slowly and rise as scum you can skim.
- Bring up to a simmer and keep it there; don't boil.
- Skim often; don't stir.
- Strain through a fine strainer or chinois; cool by the two-stage rule; lift the fat off when cold.
Why it works
Boiling churns fat and tiny bits into the liquid and clouds it. A gentle simmer keeps it clear. Bones with lots of connective tissue (knuckles, wings, feet) add gelatin, so a good stock sets like jelly when cold.
Worked example: Mirepoix by weight
You need 1,200 g of mirepoix in the classic 2 : 1 : 1 ratio. How much onion?
- 4 parts in all; onion is 2 of them.
- $1200 \times \tfrac{2}{4} = 600$ g.
Answer: 600 g of onion (300 g each of carrot and celery).
Common mistake
Salting stock. It will be reduced later, and salt concentrates; season the sauce or soup instead.
Practice at home
- Make a chicken stock from a roast chicken's carcass. Chill it overnight and see if it sets. Then make a second one with a few wings added and compare.
In Meal Prep
- Chicken stock: the recipe
- Beef stock: roasted bones
- Vegetable stock: quick and meatless